Wig-management template-shield system and method

ABSTRACT

A wig-management template-shield system and method that can be used from the initial measuring and fitting for a wig, as a template, through the wig making and the wig styling processes as both a template and a protective shield for the wig block or wig blocks, and through the use of the wig, including washings and re-stylings, as a protective shield for the wig block or wig blocks, made of a see-through flexible shrinkable barrier sheet material in hood form that is placed over the head of a person to be fitted for a wig in its expanded state as a hood, is shrunk to a shape-conforming envelope retaining the shape of the person&#39;s head and hair profile by hot air not causing injury to the person, and is then marked with the location of the person&#39;s hairline and other markings, creating a template to be sent to and used by a wig maker to make a proper fitting wig. During the making of the wig and during use of the wig, the template-shield protects wig blocks from damage and staining during dressing and cleaning of the wig.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of pending application Ser. No.16/514,008, filed on Jul. 17, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Ser. No. 14/735,927, filed on Jun. 10, 2015, now abandoned,the full disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein andpriority of which are hereby claimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a wig-management template-shield system andmethod for use in fitting, dressing, and cleaning of wigs, as a templatefor wig making and as a protective shield for wig blocks duringsubsequent use of the wig.

Wigs of human hair or imitating human hair have been known for manycenturies, and are still used today, especially in the visual andperforming arts. Although mass-designed wigs can be made for informaluses, such as Halloween costumes, wigs for professional uses, such asthe visual and performing arts, require some amount of custom fitting tothe anticipated wearer of the wig. The location of a person's hairlineand the shape of the head are critical information in the making of awig for professional use.

An actor who is to wear a wig in a performance, if he or she has longhair, will usually gather his or her own hair into a compact clump orbun, contained by a binding such as a section of nylon hosiery, ifnecessary, and will have a resulting hair profile that includes thegathered and bound hair. This information is also critical for wigmaking.

Before a wig for an individual can be made by a wig maker, the wig makerneeds to know the shape of the individual's head and hair profile, andthe location of the individual's hairline. Conveying such information toa wig maker, who might be located at a long distance from where a wig isinitially fitted, is often a problem because of errors in taking,transcribing, and transmitting measurements, and errors of translatinglanguages or converting different units of measurement.

Wigs are made on a delicate mesh lace which must be carefully handledand protected from abrasion or pressure. Wig blocks are used,traditionally of cork with a canvas cover. The wig blocks must have asuitable smooth surface in order to avoid damage to the wigs, and if thewig block surface is damaged, the wig block is no longer useable.

The wig blocks upon which wigs are made, dressed, and cleaned aresubject to damage and staining from water and the substances andsolvents used in making, dressing, and cleaning wigs. At present, manywig professionals use a homemade system of cellophane or plastic wrapsecured with tape as protection for wig blocks, but such a homemadesystem is not durable, is time consuming when done properly, requiresfrequent re-adjustment and re-covering, and is prone to failure. The wigblock used by the wig maker is not necessarily the wig block used by thewig stylist, which is not necessarily used during later cleaning,re-styling, storing, and day-to-day use of the wig. There is thereforeusually a need to shield more than just one wig block during the making,styling, maintenance, and use of a wig.

Various different configurations of head caps made of shrink-wrapmaterial have been used outside of the art of wig making, dressing, andcleaning, for enclosing substances close to a person's scalp or forprotecting a person's scalp from substances or injury. The existingheat-shrink plastic products are very poorly suited for use forprotection of wig blocks because, after shrinking, the plastic has hard,sharp seams and wavy bumps which tend to damage the delicate mesh laceof the wig. Also, existing heat-shrinkable caps or head coverings aretoo short to cover and protect the lower portion of the wig blocks. Ifthe existing caps or coverings were simply extended downward enough toprotect the lower portions of the wig blocks, then after shrinkage theywould tend to seal off the nose and mouth of the person inside, causingsuffocation, and would tend to contract around the neck, below the chinof the person, possibly causing strangulation, and certainly making theshrunken covering difficult to remove.

What is needed is a combination template and shield that can be usedfrom the initial measuring and fitting for a wig, as a template, throughthe wig making and the wig styling processes as both a template and aprotective shield for the wig block or wig blocks, and through the useof the wig, including washings and re-stylings, as a protective shieldfor the wig block or wig blocks.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,294,593 issued on Sep. 1, 1942 to Jessie M. Bailey for“Head and Face Protector” discloses head protector for preserving awoman's hair and make- up intact when trying on a garment. The protectorconsists of a hood formed of one piece of flimsy translucent material.The hood has a seamless front with two side portions; the side portionshave upper edges located above the level of the wearer's eyes andconnected together in a seam extending rearwardly from the forward andupper portion of the hood. The edges are unattached at the rear so as toform two flaps with tying cords to be extended forward and tied underthe wearer's chin.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,445,487 issued on Jul. 20, 1948 to Dorothy Lester et al.for “Head Cover” discloses a bag having front and rear edge seamconnected panels with inverted V-shaped notches adjacent the oppositelower ends of the seams. The lower end portions of the panels havehorizontal open-ended pockets, and separate drawstrings running slidablythrough the respective pockets, the free ends of the strings beingadapted to be pulled in opposing directions, the opposite ends of saiddrawstrings being anchored on opposite panels and end portions of themouth of said bag. The head cover uses open-ended hems or pockets onfront and rear panels of the bag-like hood, these serving as pockets fordrawstrings. The drawstrings are arranged and anchored on predeterminedportions of the panel and at predetermined ends or the pockets. Thedrawstrings are gathered around the mouth of the hood. Co-acting endportions of the drawstrings are in slidable riding contact in order toapply the pulling strain on the string-ends so as to minimize thelikelihood of tearing adjacent areas and regions of the tear-able stockfrom which the hood is, in practice, made.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,100 issued on Feb. 2, 1988 to Barbara J. Greer for“Makeup and Clothing Protector” discloses a substantially flat panel ofpliable material having a main panel portion of generally rectangularshape having a front edge and a rear edge. Ties are integrally attachedto the rear edge to allow positioning of the protector over a user'shead. The ties have a pair of opposing end portions and a centralportion, which is fixedly attached to the main panel portion and forminga part of said rear edge of the main panel portion. The main panelportion has a front edge-to-rear edge dimension substantially equal tothree times the vertical height of the user's head whereby said mainpanel portion can be draped over the head with the front edge thereofbelow the chin and covering the throat, the rear edge behind the neckand the end portions of the ties passing around the neck to gather thelower extremities of the panel and be tied in front.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,512 issued on Apr. 7, 1992 to Carol Weinstein for“Disposable Water Impermeable Transparent Personal Body Cover” disclosesseveral embodiments of the cover, including the embodiments forprotecting the wearer's head. The cover is constructed of waterimpermeable transparent sheet material transparent at least over aportion corresponding to the lines of sight of the user, and havingperforations to provide ventilation to the user. An endless elasticband—or other type of band—is tensioned about the cover and the head orslipped loosely around the neck of the user to retain the sheet materialin position about the head of the user. In one embodiment the band isnot endless and is capable of having both ends connected during use asby tying or fastening both ends.

Preferably the cover is formed from a polymeric material, such astransparent flexible plastic material of polyethylene orpolyvinylchloride. The ties can be an endless elastic band or two bandsdimensioned to be positioned and tensioned about the sheet and the headof the user to retain the sheet in position or, in an alternativeembodiment, the retaining means is a separable fastener of the hook andloop-type.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,069,597 issued on Jul. 4, 2006 to Wendy Hardenbrook for“Heat Activated Form Fitting Hair Cap” discloses a heat activated formfitting hair cap designed for substantially sealing an area of a body,such as the scalp, from the environment. The hair cap includes a heatactivated shrinkable body having at least one layer of materialgenerally sized to receive a portion of a human head. The cap is boundedsubstantially by a distal edge. Once the cap is placed on the head, theheat activated shrinkable body may be activated by exposure to a heatsource, such as by a hair dryer. Due to its material properties, theheat activated shrinkable body shrinks, thereby reducing the openinterior volume, forming a tight fit around the area of the body that isto be enclosed. The cap may also include at least one cap retentionmeans located substantially near the distal edge for ensuring that thedistal edge conforms to the head prior to activation and that allows thecap to be adjusted to fit a wide range of head shapes and sizes prior toactivation. The retention means may include an elasticized band, adrawstring, or a plurality of ties. To further increase theadjustability of the cap, another embodiment may include a plurality oftear away stress lines that are substantially concentric with the distaledge, thereby imparting adjustability of the volume. In this embodiment,the user may tear away portions of the cap along any of the plurality oftear away stress lines, either before or after shrinking the cap,thereby achieving a custom fit. One primary illustrative use for the capis for applying hair/scalp care products to the head. As such, thematerial of the heat activated shrinkable body may be substantiallymoisture resistant and/or substantially gas impermeable to aid in thehair/scalp treatment. For example, a user may seek to infuse their hairand scalp with a conditioning treatment.

Variations of the cap may incorporate aspects to further retain the heatthat is generally lost through the head, such as employing multiplelayers of cap material. Such multilayer embodiments may include airspaces and/or infill material between the multiple layers to furtherreduce heat transfer. The cap may be made from shrink films madeessentially of PVC, polyolefin, polyethylene, polyester, nylon, orsaran. Additional variations of the heat activated form fitting hair capmay further include methods of introducing treatment fluids directlyfrom the cap, such as including at least one treatment pouch on theinside of the cap housing a treatment fluid. While the descriptionherein focuses on the use of the heat activated form fitting hair capfor applying treatment to the hair/scalp, other exemplary applicationsinclude situations wherein it is desirable to keep the hair or scalp dryto reduce the chances of hypothermia, such as during swimming,watersports, or virtually any outdoor activity. Additionally, the capmay be used to protect the wearer from undesirable gripping of the hairor scalp during sporting activities such as wrestling. Further, the capmay be used as a hygienic measure to retain loose hair as may be desiredin the medical professions and in the food service industry.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,854,025 issued on Dec. 21, 2010 to Thomas Spinelli for“Protective and Decorative Covering for Sports Helmets” discloses a bandhaving at least a portion composed of a first heat shrink material, theband being sized to cover the sports helmet after an application of heatto the first heat shrink material. The covering can further comprise atleast one edge band disposed on an edge of the band, the edge band beingcomposed of a second heat shrink material, the second heat shrinkmaterial can have a different shrink rate than a shrink rate of thefirst heat shrink material. The shrink rate of the second heat shrinkmaterial can be greater than the shrink rate of the first heat shrinkmaterial. The band can have one or more holes, each of the one or moreholes corresponding to a hole in the sports helmet after the applicationof heat to the first heat shrink material. The covering can furthercomprise at least one hole band disposed on a periphery of at least oneof the holes, the hole band being composed of a second heat shrinkmaterial, the second heat shrink material having a different shrink ratethan a shrink rate of the first heat shrink material. The shrink rate ofthe second heat shrink material can be greater than the shrink rate ofthe first heat shrink material. The covering can further comprise one ormore markers for aligning the cover with corresponding markers on thehelmet. The sports helmet can further comprise a peripheral grooveformed in the outer surface in which is disposed an edge of thecovering.

The means can comprise a cutting groove formed in the outer surface forfacilitating removal of the covering from the outer surface. The meanscan comprise one or more removable button snaps.

US Publication No. 2011/0179557 published on Jul. 28, 2011 to FrederickRabie for “Helmet Pro System” discloses a protective helmet having atleast one inner liner for absorbing mechanical energy; and an attachableouter liner comprising shock absorbing material. The protective helmetcomprises at least one sports helmet such as those used in contactsports or non-contact sports. The attachable outer liner is applied toan external portion of the protective helmet to provide shockabsorption. The shock absorbing material preferably comprises foam orother such deformable material. The outer liner may be adhesivelyattached to the protective helmet using epoxy. A kit for the helmetliner system may comprise: a protective helmet; a plurality of theattachable outer liner(s); the adhesives such as epoxy and/or glue; anda set of user instructions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a wig-management template-shield system andmethod. The wig-management template-shield is made of a see-throughflexible shrinkable barrier sheet material in hood form that is placedover the head of a person to be fitted for a wig in its expanded stateas a hood, is shrunk to a shape-conforming envelope retaining the shapeof the person's head and hair profile by hot air not causing injury tothe person, and is then marked with the location of the person'shairline and other markings, creating a template to be sent to and usedby a wig maker to make a proper fitting wig. During the making of thewig and during use of the wig, the template-shield protects the wigblock or wig blocks from damage and staining during dressing andcleaning of the wig.

The wig-management template-shield of the present invention solvesseveral existing problems of obtaining and transmitting completeaccurate fitting measurement to a wig maker, and of providing moresecure durable protection for wig blocks by an easier method than loosewrap and tape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts aredesignated by like numerals, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the wig-management template-shield of theinvention in use;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the making of the heat-shrinkable hood ofthe wig-management template-shield of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wig-management template-shield ofthe invention before use;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an initial step of use of thewig-management template-shield of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wig-management template-shield ofthe invention, in use, prior to shrinking;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the wig-management template-shield ofthe invention, in use, during shrinking;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the wig-management template-shield ofthe invention, in use, during marking;

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of an intermediate step of use ofthe wig-management template-shield of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a later step of use of thewig-management template-shield of the invention; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a final step of use of thewig-management template-shield of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, my invention provides a wig-managementtemplate-shield 10 providing a seamless heat-shrinkable hood 20 of aflexible, shrinkable barrier sheet material that is placed over the headof a person to be fitted for a wig in its expanded state, is shrunk byhot air not causing injury to the person to a shape-conforming enveloperetaining the shape of the person's head and hair profile, and is thenmarked 30 with a hairline marking 31 of the location of the person'shairline, and other markings, creating a template to be sent to and usedby a wig maker to make a proper fitting wig. During the making of thewig and during use of the wig, the wig-management template-shield 10protects the wig block or wig blocks from damage and staining duringdressing and cleaning of the wig.

Referring to FIG. 2, in a preferred embodiment, the see-through flexibleshrinkable barrier sheet material used for the heat-shrinkable hood 20is a heat-shrink-wrap thermoplastic material exhibiting bidirectionalshrinkage upon the application of a moderate and safe level of heatedair, an approximate 2:1 shrink ratio, a moderate and safe shrink force,and shape memory sufficient to return to shrunken shape after beingslightly stretched during removal and replacement. A hand-held hairdryer of moderately high power produces a stream of air heated toapproximately 130° F. (˜55° C.), and is safe for brief use on a person.Providing a heat-shrink material which will shrink upon a briefapplication of approximately 115-125° F. (˜46-52° C.) heat will ensuresafety and will allow the heat-shrinkable hood 20 to be used withexisting hand-held hair dryers already likely in the possession of thewig professionals. Appropriate thermoplastic materials includepolyolefins like polyethylene and polypropylene, PVC, fluoropolymers,neoprene, and silicone elastomer. Appropriate production techniques forcreating heat-shrink-wrap sheet material having the desired propertiesfrom extruded thermoplastic material include cross-linking to create amemory in the material followed by heating, expansion, and rapidcooling. The material also serves as a barrier to water and to the typesof substances and solvents used in the making, dressing, and cleaning ofwigs. These materials are known in their respective arts.

The material of the heat-shrinkable hood 20 is a see-through material,meaning that it is transparent or semi-transparent. The see-throughmaterial should be transparent enough to be able to visually locate thehairline of the person through the hood after shrinking. Suchsee-through materials are known in the respective art.

The heat-shrinkable hood 20 has the form of an inverted bag or sack,with the closed end at the nominal top and the open end at the nominalbottom. Any hard, sharp, or uneven areas on the heat-shrinkable hood 20after shrinkage are avoided in order to prevent damage to the delicatemesh lace of the wig or to the wig blocks. The heat-shrinkable hood 20has no sharp corners which would tend to become hard, sharp, or unevenafter shrinkage, but is instead rounded at the top, closed endapproximately corresponding to the rounding of the top of a person'shead, such that subsequent shrinkage to the person's head yields asmooth surface with no folding or overlapping of material. Theheat-shrinkable hood 20 is seamless in order to avoid hard, sharp, oruneven seams after shrinkage. A seamless hood can be made by forming alayer of the material on an expandable anvil, then heating and expandingthe anvil, then cooling, and removing the resulting heat-shrinkable hood20. Later, in use, upon the application of heat, the heat-shrinkablehood 20 will tend to return to the smaller dimensions of the initialforming.

Referring to FIG. 3, the heat-shrinkable hood 20 is made up in a sizeappropriate to fit around a human head of large size. A substantiallyoval form with approximate dimensions of 26.7 in (˜68 cm) circumference,8 in (˜20 cm) to accommodate the head horizontally from ear to ear, 9 in(˜23 cm) to accommodate the head horizontally from nose to back, and 12in (˜30 cm) vertically, covering the head and neck, substantially to theshoulders, is sufficient to accommodate the largest heads likely to beencountered, where those dimensions correspond to a US hat size of 8.5,where hat sizes of 8 or 8.5 are considered to be very large and are notvery regularly manufactured, stocked, and sold. When using aheat-shrink-wrap material having the preferred approximate 2:1 shrinkratio, maximum shrinkage down to a corresponding US hat size of 4.5,corresponding to the size of an infant's head, is possible, and willaccommodate the head sizes and head shapes of nearly all of the personslikely to be fitted for wigs.

A hood slit 21 and hood holes 22 are provided in the heat-shrinkablehood 20. Together the hood slit 21 and hood holes 22 allow theheat-shrinkable hood 20 to be sufficiently long to cover and protect thelower portions of the wig blocks, while ensuring the safety and comfortof the person being fitted for a wig. The hood slit 21, running from thebottom edge of the heat-shrinkable hood 20 at a nominal front position,creates a line where the hood can be easily torn, and ensures that thebottom portion of the hood cannot constrict around the neck of theperson being fitted for a wig. The hood holes 22 are located above thehood slit 21, also at the nominal front position, a locationcorresponding to the person's nose and mouth. The hood holes 22 areperforations providing holes for the person to breathe through, and alsoproviding the mesh of heat-shrinkable material around the holes so thatthe portions of the hood covering the back of the head and the ears willstill be pulled into a conforming shape, as opposed to just drawing backas would happen without the connecting mesh. There is no disadvantage ifsome strands of the connecting mesh stretch to the point of breakingbecause the area of the hood holes 22 is intended to be cut or torn openfor removal of the heat-shrinkable hood 20 from the person's head.

Referring to FIG. 4, the exemplary person is shown with hair pulled upand under a close-fitting cap. A person to be fitted for a wig will havea hairline that varies from person to person and that is criticallyimportant in the making of a wig for that person, as the wig will needto either cover that hairline or blend with that hairline. While shorterhair might be worn loose or combed back under a wig, longer hair willgenerally be consolidated and compacted into one or more curls or a bun,and might be bound up under a cap made of light material such as nylonhosiery, creating a hair profile different than the scalp profile. Thesize and shape of the hair profile is another critical factor in makingthe wig. In contrast to, for instance, the circumference of a person'shead, which can be expressed as a length-measurement number fallingwithin a fairly narrow range, such as US hat sizes, which are derivedfrom the circumference in inches divided by pi, each person's hairlineand hair profile will be different and will be difficult to express orconvey in just numbers. The wig-management template-shield 10 becomesconformed to the hair profile, and the hairline marking 31 is tracedupon it, so it serves as a template for conveying that information tothe wig maker.

Referring to FIG. 5, the heat-shrinkable hood 20 is placed over the headof the person to be fitted for a wig, in such a way that the hood holes22 at the nominal front are positioned to allow the person to breathe.

Referring to FIG. 6, the heated air from a standard hair-styling blowdryer is blown upon the heat-shrinkable hood 20 in order to cause it toshrink and conform to the shape of the person's head and hair profile.The brief application of blow-dryer heat will not burn the skin, and thematerial of the heat-shrinkable hood 20 has been chosen to perform withsuch a safe level of heating, as treated above. The shrunkenheat-shrinkable hood 20 now conforms to the shape of the head and thehair profile, and serves as a template for conveying those importantshapes to the wig maker. Because the heat-shrinkable hood 20 does nothave seams or excess material to create hard or rough areas on theshrunken hood, the mesh lace of the wig can be safely placed upon itssurface during the wig-making process and during the subsequent handlingand maintenance of the wig.

Referring to FIG. 7, after heat shrinking of the heat-shrinkable hood20, the person's hairline is traced through, and upon, the see-throughmaterial of the hood, using a standard marking pen, creating a hairlinemarking 31. The hairline marking 31 conveys important information to thewig maker which is difficult to convey by other means because, unlike acircumference or hat-size measurement which is always taken at a definedlocation and can be expressed as a number, the hairline varies fromperson to person and sometimes from youth to old age. Additional usefulmarkings, such as a circumference marking 32 and an ear-to-ear marking33 can be made as a supplement to, or in place of, direct measurementsof the person's head. The name of the person, and other information suchas the production name and the role played, can be written directly ontothe heat-shrinkable hood 20. These wig-related markings 30 upon theheat-shrinkable hood 20 serve as a template for conveying the importantinformation to the wig maker.

Referring to FIG. 8, the shrunken and marked heat-shrinkable hood 20 isremoved from the head of the person after extending the hood slit 21upward through the hood holes 22 by tearing through the perforated areawith slight force, making the use of cutting tools near the person'sface unnecessary, creating a partial opening. Any resulting roughness orraggedness in that area is not detrimental because no wig is to beplaced upon that area corresponding to the person's face.

Referring to FIG. 9, the shrunken, marked, and partially openedheat-shrinkable hood 20 is placed upon a wig block, initially for use asa template during wig making and styling, and subsequently as aprotective shield for wig blocks during cleaning, re-styling, andmaintenance of the wig, where the water, solvents, substances, andoperations are potentially harmful to the wig blocks.

Referring to FIG. 10, in use upon a wig block, the wig-managementtemplate-shield 10 can be removed and replaced as needed. If necessary,for complete splash protection of the wig block, the torn area of thehood slit 21 and hood holes 22 can be sealed with adhesive tape or byoverlapping and wrapping with a waterproof film. Such sealing will notaffect the use of the wig-management template-shield 10 because the wigis not placed on that area.

The wig-management template-shield 10 serves as a removable andreplaceable template for wig making and protective shield for wig standsduring all phases of wig making, styling, cleaning, maintaining,storing, and using the wig. The wig professional who performs the wigfitting might or might not be the wig maker, and the wig maker might beclose by or far away. The wig-management template-shield 10, as ashape-conforming envelope retaining the shape of the person's head andhair profile, and having wig-related markings 30 including a hairlinemarking 31, can easily be conveyed to any local or distant wig maker,with the result that the wig maker gets possession of criticalinformation on a shape-conforming template that the wig maker can workdirectly upon.

Many changes and modifications can be made in the system and method ofthe present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. Itherefore pray that my rights to the present invention be limited onlyby the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A wig-management template-shield for use by a wig maker inmaking and subsequent cleaning, re-styling, and handling, using a wigblock, of a wig for a person fitted or being fitted for the wig, saidperson having shoulders, a neck, and a head with a specific shape,hairline, and hair profile, the wig-management template-shieldcomprising: (i) a heat-shrinkable hood made from a see-through flexibleshrinkable barrier sheet material having properties of bidirectionalshrinkage at an approximate 2:1 ratio upon application of heated air, ofinverted sack form having a closed, rounded top portion and an openbottom end with a nominal front edge, having seamless construction, andhaving dimensions adapted to fit over a large person's head and neck,able to cover same, to the large person's shoulders, adapted to beplaced over the head of the person being fitted for the wig andsubsequently shrunken by application of heated air to smoothly conformto said person's head, its shape and the hair profile of the head ofsaid person, adapted to allow subsequent visual locating and marking ofthe hairline of the person being fitted for the wig, and adapted forsubsequent placement on the wig block for use as a template and as aprotective shield; (ii) a hood slit at the front edge of the open bottomend of said heat-shrinkable hood adapted to prevent constriction of theopen bottom end upon shrinkage, and to provide the start of a subsequentlarger torn separation along said heat-shrinkable hood for the hoodremoval off the person being fitted for the wig; and (iii) a pluralityof hood holes arrayed upon said heat-shrinkable hood above said hoodslit, adapted to provide passage of air for the person being fitted forthe wig while retaining enough structure to support shrinkage of saidheat-shrinkable hood; and where, in use, the wig-managementtemplate-shield, once shrunken, marked, removed, and placed onto the wigblock, provides the wig maker with the template for wig making by havingthe shape, the hairline, and the hair profile of the person being fittedfor the wig, and provides the wig maker with the protective shield forthe wig block in the subsequent cleaning, re-styling, and handling ofthe wig.
 2. The wig-management template-shield of claim 1, where thesee-through flexible shrinkable barrier sheet material of saidheat-shrinkable hood is a thermoplastic material selected from a groupcomprising polyolefins, polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC,fluoropolymers, neoprene, and silicone elastomer.
 3. The wig-managementtemplate-shield of claim 1, where said heat-shrinkable hood isapproximately 9 inches front-to-back, 8 inches side-to-side, 12 inchestop-to-bottom, and 26.7 inches in circumference.
 4. The wig-managementtemplate-shield of claim 1, where the heated air applied to saidheat-shrinkable hood is approximately 115-125° F. 5-8. (canceled)